Stage fight

Once a popular Divisadero Street jazz-age venue, The Harding Theater has featured vaudeville acts, silent films, talkies, Grateful Dead shows and Baptist sermons over its 82-year life.

For now though, it will stay a blighted, dormant and vandalized hulk.

Preservationists convinced the city’s Planning Commission on Thursday to stall a condominium project at the Harding until a study determined how much the theater’s historic value would decline if its stage were removed as part of the new project.

That was enough for owner and developer Mike Klestoff to throw in the towel and announce Friday that he plans to give up his plans and sell the theater.

Klestoff has worked with the city for five years and spent a lot of money on his plan to build his condos while preserving most of the Harding’s auditorium. He also wanted to restore its marquis and name sign.

The fight boiled down to Klestoff’s unwillingness to preserve the theater’s stage and orchestra pit. He said he needed the space to accommodate his project — eight new condominiums and parking.

Preservationists claimed the stage was one of the building’s most important assets. Klestoff said Friday that historical reverence comes with a price: $4 million.